Edward Millen Home (fmr)

Statement of Significance

Edward Millen Home (fmr), a complex of hospital buildings comprising the former Rotunda Hospital (1912), a brick and tile building in the Federation Queen Anne style, fumatory building (1921) and former ward block (1921; 1936), set in landscaped grounds, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • The place has aesthetic value due to the relationships between the former Rotunda Hospital and former ward block and their formal landscaped setting, including the formal, tree-lined approach; • Through an understanding of the buildings and landscape elements, the place has the potential to illustrate various aspects of the development of health care in Western Australia from 1912 to 1997; • The place makes a contribution to the sense of place of those who have had associations with the place as a maternity hospital, sanatorium, psychiatric clinic and centre for autism; • The quality of the architectural detailing retained in the former Rotunda Hospital and in the former ward block is of value; • The former Rotunda Hospital is of aesthetic value as a fine example of Federation Queen Anne architecture, displaying internal and external detailing. It has landmark quality within in the site; • The Rotunda Hospital, established by midwife Elizabeth Baillie in 1912, provided women with an alternative to home birth. The Rotunda Hospital was established four years before King Edward Memorial Hospital, Western Australia’s first public hospital for women; • The site has value to the local community for the social amenity the park provides; • The Rotunda Hospital is a rare example of a hospital built in a residential style, located close to the city on a large site which has generally retained its original building and landscape qualities; and, • The place is representative of the type of rehabilitative care provided for ex-servicemen and tuberculosis in Western Australia. Due to the extent of original fabric remaining, the place is more authentic than other sites of a similar nature. • The Hillview Clinic (1968) and W E Robinson units (1983) were established to cater for the treatment and care of autistic children. These buildings contribute to understanding the development of the place as a health care site.

Physical Description

The Edward Millen Hospital is a two storey building located within a large parkland, known as Edward Millen Reserve, and generously set back from Albany Highway. The building is accessed via a central bitumen driveway form the street. The driveway is lined with mature tree plantings. The building is constructed of red brick walls and a terracotta tile hip roof in the Federation Queen Anne architectural style. There are painted rendered archways and detailing to the front (north east) elevation. There is a return verandah to three sides of the main building with a balcony of similar scale above. The verandah is supported by painted steel columns and the balcony is supported by painted turned timber posts and a terracotta tile roof that extends from the main hip roof. There is a decorative iron balustrade and corner brackets to the balcony. There is a central tower above the main entry with painted timber frame arched windows and rendered sills. There are a series of later additions to the rear of the building that are constructed of red brick walls and corrugated steel roof. There is an electrical fence surrounding the building.

History

Elizabeth Baillie purchased Canning Location 2 in 1911. The site was approximately twice the size of the present site, extending from the present Albany Highway to Devenish Street and between Hill View Terrace and Baillie Avenue. She was already practising as a midwife in the area, and went on to have the new maternity hospital constructed on the site from May 1912, and probably completed early in the following year. It was called the Rotunda Hospital and was modelled on the maternity hospital of the same name in Dublin. It continued to function as a maternity hospital until 1919. Immediately after World War One ended in late 1918, an epidemic of pneumonic influenza, also known as Spanish influenza, swept the world. From 7 June 1919, when the Rotunda Hospital was opened to receive influenza patients, to 19 September 1919, when it was closed, 186 patients were treated at the place, with an average stay of 13 to 22 days, and of whom 170 were discharged and 16 died. It has not been possible to establish whether the place returned to use as a maternity hospital after it was closed to influenza cases. In 1920, the place was taken over by the Commonwealth Government on behalf of the Department of Repatriation, renamed the Edward Millen Home and was developed for use for tubercular care. New wards were developed for the patients and shortly after these were completed the Rotunda Hospital was converted to staff accommodation. The new works included wards, a fumitory, and orderly accommodation. In 1935, the land was divided in almost equal portions by the extension of Berwick Street from Baillie Avenue to Hill View Terrace. Further additions were made to the Rotunda Hospital at this time, and further wards added to the hospital section. The place remained in use for tubercular care until 1939. From 1939 to 1942, the place continued to operate under the management of the Repatriation Commission. The in 1942, management of the place was transferred to Perth Public Hospital (later to become Royal Perth Hospital). In the subsequent period to April 1949, both returned servicemen and civilians suffering from tuberculosis were admitted as patients at Edward Millen Home. Further works undertaken in this period included the night nurses’ quarters and the emergency operating theatre completed in 1942. The place was handed back to the Repatriation Commission in 1949 and remained with them until 1982, during which time a number of improvements were made to the property, but by 1961 it was no longer required for tubercular treatment and was changed to geriatric care. During this period, further additions were made to the place and additional structures located on the sire, including the psychiatric restorative unit. In 1982, the place was transferred from Repatriation to the State’s Mental Health Service and further upgrades of a minor nature were undertaken. The place was used for child and adolescent mental health purposes and was shared with facilities for autistic children, with Hillview Clinic serving the needs of the former and the Mildred Creak Centre the latter. By 1995, only the autism remained as other services were transferred to Bentley Hospital.

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY: Medium AUTHENTICITY: High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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